The Loose Moose Theatre Company (LMTC), is a theater company based in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was co-founded in 1977, by

Keith Johnstone Keith Johnstone (born February 21, 1933) is a British and Canadian pioneer of improvisational theatre, best known for inventing the ''Impro System'', part of which are the Theatresports. He is also an educator, playwright, actor and theatre direct ...

and Mel Tonken. LMTC has an international reputation for developing the theatrical style of

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

and specifically the work of

. LMTC is the birthplace of such improvisation shows as

Theatresports Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges. Developed by di ...

, Maestro, Gorilla Theatre and Life Game.

History

The Loose Moose is an active theatre company producing in house and touring, plus it offers a training centre for individuals interested in improvisational theatre. They have continued a long-standing tradition of producing a weekend-afternoon series of children's theatre, and an evening series of improvisational comedic theatre as well as various improvised based plays and special events such as the International Improvisation Summit in March 2010 and Improvisation marathons (the longest of which lasted 52 hours of sleepless improvisation). It also was an early adopter and supporter of gay content in the late 1970s to draw attention to social injustice. Loose Moose has existed in a few venues since its inception. Originally in the Pumphouse theatre, Loose Moose moved to a space within an industrial complex in the northeast area of

(near the airport). After space-use and lease negotiations with a neighbouring Christian academy failed to be resolved, LMTC took up in the historic Garry Theatre in the Inglewood district. In 2005, LMTC moved into a new performance space in the Calgary Crossroads Market. Since 1988, the Loose Moose has hosted the ''Loose Moose International Improvisation Summer School'', a two-week school in the summer drawing people all over the world to Calgary which has long been recognized as a hub of narrative improvisation inspiration and education in the world. Many LMTC alumni are now working in the areas of film, television, stage and still use their improvisational skills as a foundation for their work. Loose Moose alumni include Roman Danylo,

Rebecca Northan Rebecca Northan is a Canadian actor, improviser, theatre director, and creative artist. She is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom '' Alice, I Think''. She is a graduate of the University of Ca ...

, Albert Howell, Tony Totino, Rick Hilton, Dave Duncan,

Mark McKinney Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series ''The Kids in the Hall'' and 1 ...

Bruce McCulloch Bruce Ian McCulloch is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the same name. He ...

Norm Hiscock Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envi ...

, Veena Sood, Clem Martini, Patti Stiles, Derek Flores,

Terra Hazelton Terra Hazelton is a Canadian jazz musician, broadcaster and actress. Raised in Calgary, Hazelton began studying theatre with the Loose Moose Theatre Company as a teenager. She later moved to Toronto to pursue opportunities in theatre, discovering ...

, Eric Amber, Roger Fredericks,

Jan Derbyshire Jan "JD" Derbyshire is a Canadian theatre artist, comedian, and writer. She has performed her one-woman show, ''Certified'', across Canada, including in Vancouver where it won two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. Early life and education Der ...

, Roderick Crawford, Chris Cline, Frank Totino, Pat Kelly, Shawn Kinley, Bruce Horak,

Peter Oldring Peter James Edward Oldring (born August 25, 1971) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Early life Oldring was born on August 25, 1971, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He graduated from Sir Winston Churchill High School in 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, a ...

Paul Spence ''FUBAR'' is a 2002 Canadian film directed by Michael Dowse and written by Dave Lawrence, Michael Dowse and Paul Spence, following the lives of two lifelong friends and head-bangers, Terry Cahill and Dean Murdoch. ''FUBAR'' debuted at the Sunda ...

, David Lawrence, Rob Mitchelson, Dave Ware, A.J. Demers, Renee Amber,

Andrew Phung Andrew Phung is a Canadian actor, improviser, and comedian. He played the character Kimchee Han on the CBC Television sitcom ''Kim's Convenience''."A Convenience truth; Andrew Phung stars in new TV series about an Asian corner store". ''Ottawa Ci ...

, Steve Jarand, Immanuela Lawrence, Graeme Davies and Jenny Wynter. In 1998, Dennis Cahill became the Artistic Director of Loose Moose.

References

External links

Loose Moose Theatre CompanyLoose Moose Theater on Facebook
{{authority control Improvisational theatre in Canada Theatre in Calgary Theatre companies in Alberta